DDS Real-Time Communication for Automotive Platforms

Find out how the Data Distribution Service (DDS) provides real-time automotive communication services.

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Oct. 22, 2025

2 min read

What you'll learn:

Why Data Distribution Service (DDS) is used in automotive applications.
What other applications are addressed by DDS?

Data Distribution Service (DDS) is a standard publish/subscribe system from the Object Management Group (OMG) that allows cooperating tasks to generate and utilize information via a logical data bus (Fig. 1) in real-time. It can be used for applications like automotive and robotics, but these are just a few that can take advantage of DDS’s flexibility since it makes future expansion easier.

A Data Distribution Service (DDS) provides a logical data bus where information can be published — 1. A Data Distribution Service (DDS), like RTI’s Connext DDS, provides a logical data bus where information can be published, such as camera or LiDAR information, and consumed by any attached service.

I talked with Neil Puthuff (watch the video above), a Senior Software Integration Engineer at Real-Time Innovations (RTI), about DDS and its Connext platform that includes DDS support. RTI Connext Drive is a production-grade DDS-based system that’s safety-certified, suitable for software-defined vehicles (SDVs). RTI Connext TSS provides certified FACE Conformant TSS support for military applications.

In the video, Neil shows off a smart headlight simulation using Connext DDS support and Aptiv’s software running in conjunction with Ansys’ SCADE model-based development suite (Fig. 2). The smart headlights are designed to dim areas where it detects on-coming cars to reduce the amount of light projected at the car. DDS exchanges data from the various services, from the sensors to the light projection system.

Demo of Aptiv smart headlight system with real-time communication between services provided by RTI Connext — 2. One of the demonstrations was based on Aptiv’s smart headlight system with real-time communication between services provided by RTI Connext, which was running on Ansys’ SCADE model-based development system.

DDS is just one part of the software solution from RTI. Connext AI leverages large language models (LLMs) in its design and analysis tools. The modular system can be linked to micros via Connext Micro.

Data Distribution Service (DDS) is a standard publish/subscribe system from the Object Management Group (OMG) that allows cooperating tasks to generate and utilize information via a logical data bus in real time. It can be used for applications like automotive and robotics but these are just a few that can take advantage of its flexibility since it makes future expansion easier.

About the Author

William G. Wong

Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF

I am Editor of Electronic Design focusing on embedded, software, and systems. As Senior Content Director, I also manage Microwaves & RF and I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, programmers, developers and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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I earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers University. I still do a bit of programming using everything from C and C++ to Rust and Ada/SPARK. I do a bit of PHP programming for Drupal websites. I have posted a few Drupal modules.

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